A Series of Miscalculations
by fuyumiootori
Summary: Handsome, clever and rich, Kyoya Ootori has it all. His new favourite pastime? Meddling in his friends' love lives - as long as there's some benefit to him, of course. But his latest endeavours don't seem to be going as smoothly as he'd predicted… A transformation of Emma by Jane Austen.
1. The First Error

_I've seen a lot of Kyoharu Pride and Prejudice AUs on here, and though I love Pride and Prejudice, I also really love Austen's Emma and I thought that Kyoya would fit the role of Emma Woodhouse perfectly. I was really surprised that I hadn't seen someone do this already, so then I guess this story was born (you don't need to know anything about Emma to understand the story though). So this is based on Emma and is kind of set in an AU where some events in the anime/manga have happened and some haven't, I suppose, but it doesn't really have too much bearing on the story. I'm also going to use quite a few manga-only characters, but at this point I don't think any of them will be major characters. This is the first story I've published on here in a few years, so any reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated! Enjoy!**  
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_EDIT 8/11/14: Just to make it clear, this is an AU in which I have assigned characters from the Ouran anime/manga to characters from Emma (in most cases, quite loosely). Any character with a name is not an OC. Sorry for the confusion!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or Emma._

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><p>Kyoya Ootori, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and a pleasant disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings in existence; and had lived nearly seventeen years in the world with very little to distress or vex him.<p>

That was what he wanted people to think, anyway.

Every day, Kyoya followed the same routine. He woke up each morning approximately half an hour after the first alarm at 6:45 am. Then, after a nutritious breakfast fit for a king, he was escorted to school by limousine to make it in time for homeroom beginning at 8:30 am. When classes ended at 3:30 pm, if he didn't have Host Club to attend (which lasted for about two hours, if nothing out of the ordinary happened), he was driven home. He ate dinner with any members of the family present at 6:00 pm, studied for three hours (this part of his schedule was prone to adjustment), and then, if he had nothing left to do, he went to bed. He was perfectly happy with his perfect routine, and everyone admired him for his wonderful self-discipline.

But, as everyone knows, perfection is never _interesting_. And Kyoya, like every other student at Ouran Academy, was often bored. Which is why, the Tuesday before last, he had come up with a new way to exercise his vastly superior intellect and pull the strings of the puppets he was surrounded by on a daily basis. And as of yesterday, his hard work, it seemed, had borne fruit.

Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Reiko Kanazuki sat together a few tables away, sharing a large slice of strawberry sponge cake. Honey, in the spirit of today's Ancient Roman theme, was dressed as Cupid. He was smiling broadly, and Reiko was - for the first time he had seen - laughing. They were both blushing. Who would have thought that childlike Honey and curse-loving Reiko would become a couple? But Honey had asked her to be his girlfriend yesterday, and it was all thanks to him. Kyoya smiled and took a sip of tea.

"Kyoya-senpai," said a voice next to his ear flatly, "why do you have that dark smirk on your face?"

He tilted his head a little to acknowledge Haruhi's presence. Tamaki had wanted to dress her as Venus, but as Haruhi had quite predictably refused, the twins decided to dress her in a Roman tunic, put flowers and in her hair and leave her role up to the clients' speculation. The outfit reminded Kyoya of a nymph.

"What do you mean?" He shrugged. "I'm simply glad that Honey-senpai and Miss Kanazuki seem happy together."

Haruhi scoffed.

"And also," Kyoya went on, "I'm relieved that my efforts at bringing them together didn't go to waste. Though of course, I knew it would work out from the beginning-"

"Hang on!" Haruhi blurted out. "What do you mean, 'your' efforts? I'm sure I remember that Reiko and Honey-senpai worked everything out by themselves with only a little help from Tamaki-senpai. You didn't do anything!"

"Honestly, Haruhi, you could at least try to be a little less blunt." Kyoya opened his laptop and began tapping away at the keys. "Think about the events of two weeks ago again. What exactly did Tamaki say?"

"Well, after Reiko had been trying to curse Honey-senpai for two days straight, he told her that she should try to use other means to capture Honey-senpai's heart…?"

"And?"

"And then after she left … he said something to us about how maybe they'd be a good match? I don't really remember much…"

Kyoya huffed. "And who do you think put that idea in his head in the first place?" He gestured at Tamaki dressed as Apollo on the other side of the room, surrounded by swooning girls. "You know, Haruhi, that one of Apollo's symbols is the lyre? And that obviously he never could have mastered it if Mercury-" –he gestured at his own costume, complete with winged sandals- "-had not invented it in the first place?"

Haruhi stared at him in disbelief. "That's it? _That's _why you credit yourself with their relationship?"

He turned back to his laptop. "Is that so unreasonable?"

"Well, yes!" Haruhi moved to the other side of the table so that she was in front of him rather than beside him. "I mean, in the end, Tamaki-senpai's actions were barely important, because they did just fine on their own! And also," she folded her arms, "I know you're clever, but you couldn't have predicted that they'd be a good match after only two days! You barely even saw them together, and whenever they were near each other Honey-senpai was cowering in fear!"

"Oh really?" Kyoya smirked and glanced at Honey and Reiko. "Because I think that I was right on the money."

"…Fine, you win," Haruhi grumbled, and she slumped slightly. "But one last thing – what could you have possibly gained from all of this anyway?"

Kyoya looked back at his laptop screen. "Well, club profits have increased by ten percent since this development. Our clients seem to be intrigued by how their completely opposite personalities complement each other." He gestured towards the strange couple and, indeed, they were encircled by a horde of whispering girls.

Haruhi sighed. "…I guess you never change."

"I hope that was a compliment, Haruhi." He looked up and smiled slyly. "Now, you should get to work. Your debt won't pay itself, you know."

**oOo**

He would never have mentioned this to Haruhi, but deep in his heart it really did make him glad that Honey had found happiness with Reiko. He wondered whether any other members of the host club could find the same happiness without harming the club's income. He scanned the room.

"That's okay, Reiko-chan!" Honey beamed. "I don't mind – huh?"

Honey looked down at his foot – it was bare. His eyes welled up with tears. "My … my sandal…"

The surrounding group of girls gasped and whispered amongst themselves. _He's so cute! Oh no, the poor thing! I can't stand seeing him like this!_

Reiko looked around the room darkly. "…A curse…"

"No," said a deep voice, "… it was behind the pillar." Mori towered over the table and held out Honey's missing sandal. "Mitsukuni. You should be more careful."

Mori knelt down and fixed the sandal back onto Honey's foot. As Honey's smile widened and Mori silently stood up, the girls' eyes shone. _Mori's so strong! I bet he's dressed as Hercules! He's so mysterious! I wonder what he's thinking?_

Giving Mori a girlfriend, Kyoya thought, would ruin his silent and 'mysterious' appeal.

"Did you two choose today's costumes?" A girl asked Hikaru and Kaoru brightly.

"Yeah, we did," said one twin. "We're really interested in Roman mythology, especially because Rome was founded by the twins, Romulus and Remus-"

"But Hikaru," whimpered the other twin (presumably Kaoru), tears filling his eyes, "do you remember how that story ends? When Romulus … kills Remus … how … how could you bring that up?"

"Oh Kaoru," Hikaru murmured, pulling his brother into a close embrace, "you know that something like that could _never_ happen to us. I just … care about you too much … I could never live without you."

The girls sitting on the opposite chairs squealed. _Aaah! Their brotherly love! Oh, I can't bear to watch!_

Kyoya was by no means going to lose the brotherly love package for the sake of his own entertainment. And besides, he reasoned, a twin in love could have disastrous consequences.

"We're sorry, Haruhi-kun," said one girl, putting down her teacup.

"We know you're not really interested in cosplay," said another apologetically.

"It's alright," replied Haruhi. She smiled softly at them. "As long as it makes you girls happy, I'm happy too. And besides, I think it's great that everyone's so interested in Ancient Roman culture."

The two girls blushed, speechless. Haruhi looked mildly bemused.

Of course, Haruhi was completely out of the picture. Even if she wasn't already hiding her gender, she was so apathetic about most things that the task of finding a 'special someone' for her would be impossible anyway. Which only left one more person…

"Oh Tamaki," a girl gushed, "you look so handsome in your Roman outfit! You make the perfect god of the sun!"

"Any radiance I might have," Tamaki said smoothly, pulling the girl's face close, "is outshined tenfold by your beauty, goddess of my heart."

"T-Tamaki…" she stammered, her face rapidly growing red.

Kyoya didn't want to jeopardise Tamaki's seventy percent request rate, but now that he thought about it, a girlfriend might do Tamaki some good. His brainless, confused delusions about Haruhi simply weren't healthy. What he really needed to bring him back to earth was to _actually_ fall in love with someone. Of course, the girl would have to be willing to keep the relationship fairly low-key so that sales at the host club wouldn't be affected. She would also have to be chosen from amongst the most well bred students at Ouran – Tamaki was a Suoh, after all. A difficult task, perhaps, but Kyoya had always needed challenges like he needed air and water to survive. Now to find the girl…

"Tamaki," a girl purred, "you haven't forgotten about me, have you?"

"Of course not!" Tamaki turned to face the girl sitting beside him and gazed at her from his trademark 'low angle'. "I could never forget about you … Princess Ayanokoji."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow and picked up his black book.

Haruhi had wandered towards Tamaki's space carrying a tea tray.

"Would you like some tea, Princess Ayanokoji? Tamaki-senpai?"

"Yes," replied Ayanokoji expressionlessly, "milk with-"

"Oh, Haruhi!" Tamaki leapt from his seat and put his arm around Haruhi's shoulders, nearly causing her to drop the tray. "You're just so cute! Daddy has taught you so well! And in that outfit, you look like a little fairy-"

Haruhi struggled against him in vain. "Senpai, stop it! Get off me! You're so-"

"Tamaki, were you going to take tea?" Ayanokoji smiled sweetly at him.  
>"Ah …" Tamaki glanced around the room, and his eyes met Kyoya's. Kyoya supposed he must have been wearing his 'demonic' expression (after all, Kyoya didn't want to lose any valuable customers due to Tamaki's erratic behaviour), because Tamaki hurried back to his seat like a scared rabbit. Haruhi poured tea, and soon enough Tamaki was as enthusiastic in his hosting as ever.<p>

Kyoya made a note in his book.

_Potential partner for Tamaki: SEIKA AYANOKOJI, 3-A_

_Royal lineage. V. wealthy. Connection benefits Suohs. Patient. Intelligent? Pretty enough._

Kyoya closed his book calmly. Princess Ayanokoji it was.


	2. The Fault in the Plan

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited! I'm really happy that there seems to be such a positive response so far! Just one thing I should probably address – this Ayanokoji __**is **__the Ayanokoji from episode 1/chapter 1. I was a little vague before but this is a 'Haruhi in Wonderland' style AU where I've basically just taken Ouran characters and (loosely) assigned them to characters from Emma. And also, any character with a name is a canon character from the anime and/or the manga, so there won't be any OCs here (unless it's a random maid or butler or something). Sorry for any confusion, that was completely my fault! Anyway I hope you like this chapter (which ended up way longer than I thought it would)!_

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><p>"Kyoya!"<p>

Kyoya looked up from where he was supervising the rest of the host club who, in turn, were supervising the servants (and Haruhi) taking down the Roman decorations. Tamaki was rushing towards him from the changing room, and he looked troubled.

"Kyoya, can I come to your house after this?"

Kyoya eyed his best friend suspiciously. "Even if I refused, you'd find a way in anyway," he replied, adjusting his glasses. "Is there a reason, or are you just hoping that you can sit under the kotatsu?"

Tamaki looked at his feet. Kyoya had never seen the cheerful, confident Host King look so helplessly confused before.

"Well … there's something I want to talk to you about. Although I want to sit under the kotatsu too …"

Kyoya sighed. "You're a moron. But alright, you can come to my house this evening."

"Hey, Haruhi," the twins began as they slyly sidled up to her and trapped her between them, "why don't you wear this," -one of them conjured a very short and very pink sundress seemingly from thin air- "when we go on our date to the amusement park this weekend?"

"Wow, Hika-chan, Kao-chan," said Honey, wide-eyed, as Mori looked on as silently and as impassively as always, "that dress is so cute!"

"Huh?" Haruhi looked confused. "Date? What are you guys talking about? And there's no way in hell I'm wearing-"

"HARUHI!" Tamaki had furiously seized Haruhi from the twins at lightning speed. "Daddy would never let his Haruhi go on a date with those shady twins! And you're not allowed to dress Haruhi up in such cute dresses at this time of the year! Don't you realise that it's November? Haruhi will freeze to death in such a short outfit!"

"Senpai – let go of me – I can't breathe – Tamaki-senpai –"

"Alright, that's enough," Kyoya drawled, pushing past the hysterical twins to extract Haruhi from Tamaki's clutches. "It's getting a bit late, so I think it's time we all went home. Come on, let's finish up."

**oOo**

"Kyoya-senpai…"

Kyoya raised his head and snapped his notebook shut. Haruhi was standing over him as the rest of the club began to disperse behind her.

"What's the matter _now_, Haruhi?"

"Well -" she began, but she stopped abruptly and narrowed her eyes at his notebook. "Hey, what are you always writing in that book anyway? You keep it so secret."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "I write notes," he replied ambiguously. "Was that all?"

"No! I …" Haruhi lowered her voice, as if she didn't want to be overheard. "I was just going to thank you for helping me back there. And also," she continued before he could protest against this accusation, "I was wondering if Tamaki-senpai was alright. I didn't hear anything, but he seemed a little odd when he spoke to you earlier."

Kyoya regarded her for a moment. She had once told him that his attitude puzzled her, but in many ways, she puzzled him too – at times she could be so painfully oblivious to the feelings of others, and yet at others she had a deeper understanding of human nature than anyone else he knew; she lived by a code of disinterest and apathy, but many times he had seen her display infinite curiosity and boundless motivation. He gave her a little smile and slipped his laptop into its case.

"I agree that he seemed a bit strange just now, but I don't think it's anything too serious. I'll hear him out tonight. Although," he added casually, standing and gathering his things, "I hope that his problem isn't so small that it's not worth my time. There's nothing to gain from giving up my evening so that I can listen to some idiot's pitiful, unimportant blathering."

Haruhi laughed weakly.

"I guess if you got really mad then he might quiet down a bit for a change…" she muttered. "But if you're not worried, then neither am I." She smiled at him, waved at the others and soon disappeared through the doors of Music Room Three.

**oOo**

An hour later, Kyoya and Tamaki were in the Ootori mansion, sitting under the kotatsu together and drinking tea. The atmosphere between them felt unusually serious - like the calm before a storm.

"Alright Tamaki," he prompted, "don't keep me in suspense. What happened?"

"Well, I don't know how to put this, but…" Tamaki gathered himself and looked Kyoya straight in the eyes. "Kyoya, I think I'm in love."

Kyoya blinked. "… I'm sorry?"

"I'm in love," Tamaki repeated slowly.

"Since when?"

"I don't know! Maybe for a few weeks now … I think."

Kyoya was stunned. "… This is what you wanted to tell me?"

Tamaki nodded. "Yes."

Kyoya was silent for a few moments, before he leant over the table and hit Tamaki over the head. "Tamaki, you're an _idiot_. I thought something serious had happened!"

"But it _is _serious, Kyoya!" Tamaki whined, rubbing his head. "I don't know what I should do!"

Kyoya groaned. "I can't believe I'm giving up my valuable time to listen to this … but very well. Who is it?"

Tamaki looked at the wall. His face reddened. "Princess Michelle…"

Kyoya frowned. "Michelle of Monale?"

Tamaki smiled dreamily. "Yes."

Kyoya conjured a picture of the princess in his mind. She was kind, shy, and very beautiful, with deep blue eyes and long, golden hair. But something troubled him - he had only seen the woman in photographs, but Princess Michelle looked strikingly similar to Tamaki's own mother, Anne-Sophie. He sighed. This development would add extra difficulties to his plans for Tamaki.

"Tamaki," Kyoya began slowly, "I hate to be the person to tell you this, but you can't be together with Princess Michelle."

Tamaki's face fell. "What? Why not?"

Kyoya picked up the black notebook sitting beside him and flipped it open. "What do you know about the country of Monale?"

"It's a small, wealthy country in Europe," said Tamaki, "but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"While Monale might be classified as wealthy, it has one of the largest gaps between the rich and the poor in the world. Most people living in Monale aren't very wealthy at all." Tamaki looked crestfallen. Kyoya felt a small stab of guilt, but he continued: "Of course, you know that due to the sudden deaths of Michelle's parents several years ago, the country is run by her older brother. He is very close to his people, and to remain in their favour – but also out of genuine compassion – the royal family lives modestly and donates most of their income to the poor. Princess Michelle is not as wealthy as her title might infer she is."

"But I don't understand," said Tamaki desperately. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"Tamaki," Kyoya replied gently, "you know that your grandmother would never accept her. If she becomes your girlfriend, who knows what might happen to her? Forget about Princess Michelle."

There was a long pause. Tamaki stared into his teacup. Kyoya could tell that he was thinking hard.

"… You're right," Tamaki said quietly. "I wasn't thinking of Michelle at all. I was only thinking of myself." He lifted his head and smiled brightly at Kyoya. "I'm glad I talked to you about it!"

Kyoya smiled and closed his notebook.

"But Kyoya," Tamaki added, frowning worriedly, "I don't know whether I'll be able to forget about my feelings … whenever I look at her, I feel …" He shook his head. "What should I do?"

Kyoya glanced up at his friend. This was his chance to put his plan into action. "I'm no expert," he replied with feigned indifference, "but I may have one idea."

Tamaki's eyes widened. "What idea?"

Kyoya took a sip of his tea. "First of all, you'll have to try and stop seeing Michelle as often." Tamaki let out a whimper, but Kyoya's expression remained stony. "You know that it's for the best, Tamaki. Secondly, you should try to look at the other people available to take your mind off things. There are many other more suitable girls at Ouran, you know."

Tamaki looked uncertain. "But … who?"

Kyoya pretended to be deep in thought. "Well, let's see … how about … Princess Ayanokoji?"

"Princess … Ayanokoji?" Tamaki repeated slowly.

Kyoya watched his best friend carefully. "Well, it makes perfect sense. Not only is she very wealthy, but she is quite good-looking and, most importantly, from what I've seen from your interactions at the host club she is rather fond of you."

Tamaki's expression brightened. "Really…?"

Kyoya nodded matter-of-factly. "Well, only an idiot like you wouldn't be able to realise it."

Tamaki, unaffected, leapt up and tackled Kyoya to the ground. "You're right! I knew you'd know what to do! Thank you, Kyoya! You're such a great pal! Mon ami!"

"Tamaki," Kyoya said menacingly, "if you don't get off me I'll never let you sit under the kotatsu again."

Tamaki jumped up as if he had been struck by lightning and crouched in the corner of Kyoya's room, moping. Kyoya sat up and straightened his glasses. Stage One of the plan had gone perfectly.

**oOo**

"Kyoya, how could you?"

A short while after Tamaki left, Kyoya attempted to finish some homework while his older sister, Fuyumi, attempted to 'organise' his clothes. He clenched his teeth in irritation as she pulled apart his perfectly organised drawers. "You do this every single time you come over. I've told you a thousand times to leave my drawers alone. You should let the maid do it."

"Don't avoid my question! You know that – urgh, why won't this _fit? _– But you know that Monale's economic situation is improving."

Kyoya shrugged. "I only did what was best for Tamaki. And why were you eavesdropping anyway?"

"Kyoya, you can't just _make _people fall in and out of love!" She replied evasively, adding another shirt to the pile strewn across the floor.

"Well then," Kyoya deadpanned, "how would you say people fall in love then? It just _happens_?"

Fuyumi stopped what she was doing. She turned her head and stared softly out of the window at the stars. "Yes," she murmured, smiling. "It just happens."

While Kyoya had scorned her words then, he couldn't stop thinking about them as he lay in bed that night with headphones over his ears, listening to overplayed pop songs. Was his sister right? Was it really impossible for him to interfere in Tamaki's love life? Now that he thought about it, convincing Tamaki to forget his feelings for Michelle was almost _too_ easy. Was there something going on beneath the surface that he had missed?

It was foolish, he thought, that he should be so concerned about his sister's words. After all, this was only a way to pass the time. It's hardly important in the grand scheme of things.

_Yet it is, _a small voice inside of him whispered, and Fuyumi's words echoed through his mind once again.

Kyoya put away his music and rolled over. It would work out fine, he reasoned groggily. After all, his plans had never failed before. And Tamaki _was_ an idiot. And with that, he fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

**oOo**

Over the last few weeks of school, Kyoya watched with satisfaction as Tamaki and Ayanokoji grew closer and as his friend let go of his feelings for Princess Michelle. The only person besides Fuyumi who expressed any doubts about his antics was Haruhi, but her words hadn't given him any cause for worry – a vague 'something's off about her' was too weak an argument to create any feelings of mistrust, in Kyoya's opinion. Besides, just the other day Ayanokoji had sought him out after classes so that she could order a copy of Tamaki's fanbook. To Kyoya, it was clear that she really was head-over-heels in love with Tamaki.

Today, as he walked into Music Room Three with Tamaki as per usual, he noticed a lilac coloured envelope sitting on his table. As soon as he had opened and read it, he raised an eyebrow and held the letter out towards Tamaki. "It's for you."

Tamaki took the note from him and scanned it. After a few moments his eyes widened and a faint blush spread over his cheeks. "It's from Princess Ayanokoji!"

"A love letter for the boss?"

"From Princess Ayanokoji? Let us see!"

The twins strolled through the doors, with Haruhi trailing after them.

"If we're all going to look at it, we should at least wait for Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai," Haruhi said blandly.

Once the whole club was assembled, Tamaki read the letter aloud:

"_My first is foremost legally,_

_My second circles outwardly,_

_My third leads all in victory,_

_My fourth twice ends a nominee,_

_My whole is this gate's only key._

_-Princess Ayanokoji_"

Haruhi frowned. "What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

"It's a riddle," Honey explained. Mori nodded in agreement.

One of the twins turned towards the other. "Hey, Hikaru, didn't someone put this in one of those letters we used to get in middle school?"

"Yeah," replied Hikaru. "It's a pretty generic riddle. Ayanokoji probably just got it off the internet or something."

"Boring!" they chorused, and wandered away.

"But … what's the answer?" asked Tamaki.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Kyoya from his usual spot at his table. "It's 'love', of course."

Tamaki peered at the letter for another moment, and realisation soon dawned upon his face. "Oh … oh yeah, I see it now!"

Kyoya and Haruhi glanced at each other. He smiled smugly, and she rolled her eyes at him. She was running out of ways to argue against his scheming, and he knew it.

**oOo**

Soon, the host club was open for business as usual.

"Ootori."

Kyoya turned his head in the direction of the voice. To his surprise, Ayame Jounouchi, the Vice-President of 2-A, was standing over him.

"Miss Jounouchi. What's the matter?"

She glanced around furtively, bent over a little and lowered her voice. "I have something to tell you. It's about Ayanokoji."

Kyoya glanced over to where Princess Ayanokoji was sitting. She was smiling as Tamaki coddled a disgruntled Haruhi. He frowned. "What about her?"

"I overheard something interesting at lunch today. Ayanokoji was telling her friends about how she was going to leave a letter in here."

"We did receive a letter. In it was a riddle with her name signed at the end. It was clearly intended for Tamaki." He turned back to his laptop. "What about it?"

"That letter …" she muttered darkly. "I don't think it was meant for Tamaki Suoh. That's all I had to tell you." And with that, she whirled around and walked away, leaving Kyoya to stare at his laptop screen blankly, a sense of dread rising in his chest.

An hour later, the host club bade farewell to their guests.

"We'll see you ladies at our Christmas party!" the twins called out cheerfully. "The host club will be waiting for you!"

Ah, yes. The Hitachiin Christmas party. All of the prominent families in Japan (and many others from around the world) would be in attendance, as would the host club, who would be making sure that all the young heiresses were enjoying themselves. Of course, Ayanokoji would also be there. This party would be the perfect opportunity for Tamaki and Ayanokoji to realise their feelings for each other.

He thought back to his conversation with Ayame. Her words really had worried him at first, but as he thought about it more, he knew that she had to be wrong. That letter couldn't have been addressed to anyone _but _Tamaki. Ayame was probably just jealous – she had had a crush on Tamaki ever since he had entered Ouran, after all.

_CRASH!_

"Hikaru!" yelled Haruhi. She was sprawled out on the floor, surrounded by the pieces of a smashed china plate. "Stop messing around! I'm not wearing that dress to the Christmas party!"

"HOW COULD YOU?" Tamaki was trying to throttle Hikaru in an instant. "HOW COULD YOU PUSH OVER MY POOR HARUHI FOR THE SAKE OF THAT DRE-" He froze mid-sentence and stared, dumbstruck, at the dress Hikaru was holding.

Kaoru joined his twin, grinning devilishly. "So it's true. The boss _is _a pervert."

"I'M NOT A PERVERT!" Tamaki shouted, his face as red as a tomato. "HOW COULD YOU MAKE SUCH AN ACCUSATION? YOU SCHEMING TWINS!"

Haruhi looked exasperated as Hikaru and Kaoru laughed diabolically.

Kyoya walked over and eyed the plate pointedly. "That's another twenty-thousand yen added to your debt, Haruhi."

Haruhi closed her eyes and groaned, but by the time she opened them Kyoya had extended a hand towards her. Her reaction amused him – she stared at his hand for a second in confusion, stared up at him, and then finally took it with a small smile, allowing him to help her up.

"Th-thank you," she stammered.

Kyoya shrugged, but he, too, allowed himself a smile. "That's still another twenty-thousand yen added to your debt."

"Yeah, I know," she grumbled as he went back to his laptop and his notebook.

**oOo**

"Takashi?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm not sure if that letter really was for Tama-chan."

"… Mm."

"I think that soon, he and Kyo-chan will get a really big shock. Poor Tama-chan …"

"… Yeah."

And the two seniors stood together, watching their friends and enjoying the last few moments of calm before the real storm began.

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><p><em>If you haven't read the manga, Monale just a country that Bisco Hatori made up. I'm going to try and keep any author's notes to a minimum and at the end of the chapters from now on unless I have something important to say (like the Ayanokoji thing). Also, while this update was pretty speedy I don't think they're going to be this quick in the future unfortunately because of school. If you liked it or if you have any suggestions for improvement, drop a review! I read them all and they're really appreciated!<em>


	3. Once Bitten, Twice Shy?

It was Christmas Eve, and the Hitachiin Christmas party was in full swing. The ballroom was decked with mistletoe and holly, and the elegant white décor perfectly matched the snow blanketed over the garden below. Couples swayed on the dance floor with varying levels of grace as the band played Christmas classics, while the older and more 'refined' guests discussed business and politics over Cognac and Champagne. A few who wanted to escape the noise of the party stood on the large balcony, from which there was a breathtaking view of the night sky over the mansion's grounds and the twinkling lights of the city. Kyoya was one such person, and as he gazed at the infinite galaxies above him, he wanted more than anything to fly far, far away into the dark, comforting night. He wished that he had never come to this stupid Christmas party.

**oOo**

He had known from this morning that his plans for Tamaki and Ayanokoji would have to wait. He had been woken (quite early) at eleven by a voice message from Tamaki: "_Good morning, Kyoya! I'm sorry to be calling you before midday, but my grandmother wishes me to stay at home this evening, so I won't be able to make it to the party. Say sorry to everyone from me! And since I won't be there, make sure that the twins don't dress Haruhi in something too cute! I'll see you tomorrow!_"

He had arrived at the Hitachiin mansion along with the rest of the host club at four o'clock that afternoon to assist with the preparations for the party, starting at six. The atmosphere was lively as the servants scrambled to hang up decorations and polish every inch of the house, but the news of Tamaki's absence had dampened the mood of each host - though there was no time to wallow in self-pity, as everyone was soon busy meticulously preparing themselves for their appearance at the party. Just as Tamaki had predicted, Kyoya did have to remind the twins that from the moment the party started, Haruhi was effectively a boy and that she would need to dress like one ("No, you two may _not _dress Haruhi in such a blatantly revealing dress just because Tamaki isn't here. No, it's not 'adorable'; there's a difference between 'cute' and 'highly inappropriate'.").

Too soon, the guests started to arrive and the party had begun. For the boys (and Haruhi), it was business as usual; they were there to look handsome, charm the guests and ensure that things ran smoothly.

It was just Kyoya's luck that trouble had walked straight through the door with the intention of shadowing his every move. If only he had known it then!

"My, don't you look dashing tonight."

Kyoya turned in the direction of the voice. It was Ayanokoji. She was wearing a short, tight-fitting black dress – it was clear that she was aiming to impress, but in light of the formality of the event, Kyoya thought that it displayed unexpected poor taste. "Princess Ayanokoji," he replied with his usual charming smile, "it's a pleasure to see you again. However, I have some bad news – Tamaki was unfortunately unable to attend due to another engagement. I'm truly sorry, I know that you were probably hoping to see him here."

She shrugged. "Oh, that's a shame. But there are plenty of other handsome boys here …" To Kyoya's astonishment, she winked at him, grinning, and wandered away to rejoin her father. He was left frozen, utterly shocked and bewildered. How could she be so indifferent about Tamaki? She _adored _Tamaki. He was sure of it. But deep down, he felt a pang of fear – the first thread of his carefully crafted plan had unraveled before his very eyes.

If that had been the end of it, Kyoya would have been ready to alter the plan; to gently transfer Tamaki's affections onto someone else, losing nothing and gaining everything – but Ayanokoji, it seemed, was determined to mercilessly hack at every single string tying his scheme together. Kyoya knew that out of obligation he would have to dance with one or two daughters of important business partners of the Ootori Group, but he did not count on having to dance an added three dances with the frighteningly persistent Ayanokoji. By the third dance he was completely sick of her mundane conversation, his feet hurt, and he was violently cursing the foolish person who invented that damn rule of etiquette that forbade a gentleman from ever refusing a lady over and over in his mind. Did she know how to talk about anything other than herself? Was she like this with Tamaki as well? If so, how could Tamaki have ever borne such _clinginess_? And why on earth was she trying to cling to him? Before she could force him onto the dance floor for a fourth time, he noticed that his father had finally arrived and politely excused himself. He had never been so happy to see Yoshio Ootori in his life.

But even the formidable Ootori patriarch was unable to deter Ayanokoji. Kyoya had been quick to join his father in conversation with some of the leading businessmen of Japan. This was what he was truly good at - to impress, but not to impress too much; to shine a good light on the Ootori name but not so brightly as to outshine his brothers. It was second nature to him by now, and while he knew that most would think of it as stressful, the familiarity of the situation brought him an odd sort of comfort. But even here, as he was outlining to his father's business partners which subjects he studied at school and how he balanced study with the responsibilities of being the class president, Ayanokoji had the nerve to stop him mid-sentence, hand him a glass of wine and flounce away, smiling impishly. The businessmen stared at him, stunned, while he in turn stared at the glass shoved unceremoniously into his hand. What kind of a person did Ayanokoji think he was? Wasn't it obvious that he was underage? And in front of his father and all these esteemed businessmen! What would they all think of him now? He gave the glass, untouched, to a passing waiter at the nearest opportunity, but he could not discard his embarrassment so easily. He later had to explain to his father that yes, unfortunately he knew this girl and no, he had never drunk before in his life and he had no intention of doing so for at least a year yet.

And it didn't stop there. Around every corner, behind every pillar, Ayanokoji seemed to be waiting. Whenever he thought he had escaped to another circle of people, she always managed to slink up beside him. Everything he ate or drank, she would too, and she would agree with every single comment he made, usually with an annoying, high-pitched giggle. Through carefully perfected false smiles and compliments he endured this pain, but he felt as if he was being tested to the limits of his patience.

His friends, however, seemed to be having a wonderful night: Honey was eating every cake he could get his hands on, accompanied by a predictably stoic Mori and Reiko, who (unlike Ayanokoji) was dressed in a very tasteful, elegant black dress. The twins were busy introducing themselves to as many guests as possible and he had even caught a glimpse of Haruhi 'cheerfully' chatting with a few members of her class. He could have had a fairly decent evening too, if it wasn't for the red-haired demon intent on stalking him for the entire party.

Finally, an opening for escape appeared: Ayanokoji had to go to the ladies' room. As soon as she had turned away and headed in the direction of the exit, Kyoya made his way through the crowds towards the furthest corner of the room. Surely she wouldn't venture that far in search of him. There was a lounge hidden in the shadows there, where he could perhaps sit out of notice until the time when she left – which, he had been informed about ten times, would be quite early at nine-thirty. He checked his watch. It would only be fifteen minutes before he was well and truly safe.

When he had finally reached the place, he saw that half of the lounge was already occupied – by an exhausted-looking Haruhi.

"Having a little break, Haruhi?"

She raised her head wearily. "Yes. I don't care if you multiply my debt by a hundred, senpai. I can't smile for another second."

"I had no intention of doing that," he reassured her. He sat down next to her and sighed. "I was going to have a rest myself."

"Let me guess. From Princess Ayanokoji?"

He _hmph_-ed in response.

"You know," she said matter-of-factly, resting her chin on her hand, "I was watching you for a bit earlier. You were pretty impressive in dealing with her. The more I saw of her, the more I felt like … hitting her or something."

Kyoya let out a short, quiet laugh. "Believe me, I felt like hitting her more times than I can count. But if anyone asks, I never said that. Ayanokoji is the most _charming, intelligent, polite, considerate _woman I have ever met," and he spat out each adjective as if it was poisonous.

Haruhi chuckled. "Said what? But … well, I don't want to sound like I'm saying 'I told you so' or anything …"

Kyoya leaned back. "My respect for her has diminished so much this evening that I am fully prepared to accept that you were correct and that I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a waiter approaching. "Something to eat, sir?"

"No tha-" As Kyoya turned around, he paused mid-sentence. "Actually, yes. Thank you."

"Hungry, senpai?" Haruhi asked. Her face was turned in the other direction – whether she was surprised at his apology or whether she didn't want him to see her yawn, he did not know.

"Not at all," he replied, "but I thought that you might be."

He held out the plate towards her. She slowly swiveled around in her seat, and her eyes widened at the sight of the food.

"Ootoro…! Is that … for me?"

Kyoya shrugged a little. "A peace offering."

Haruhi took the plate from him as if she was in a dream. A gentle smile crept onto her face, and Kyoya could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes. He could barely believe that one little plate of food could make her so happy. As he watched her, he temporarily forgot his irritation with Ayanokoji.

She picked it up with delicate fingers, gazing at it lovingly. She brought it towards her mouth slowly, as if she wanted to savour every moment of the experience. She closed her eyes, and it had almost passed her lips when suddenly –

"Kyoya, I've _finally_ found you! I was _beginning_ to think you were trying to avoid me!"

Ayanokoji had roughly squashed herself in between them on the lounge. Kyoya found himself shoved uncomfortably into the armrest. He couldn't see Haruhi but she had let out a cry, and the next thing he saw was the piece of ootoro flying towards the wall. Kyoya clenched his fists and stared straight ahead at the crowd. It was all he could do to stop himself from exploding. "Princess Ayanokoji. I thought you had already left."

"Oh, well, I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you, could I?" She leaned forward, and behind her he could now see Haruhi. She was even more squashed than he was, and she was staring at the back of Ayanokoji's head as if she could set it on fire with her glare. Kyoya had rarely seen Haruhi's 'demonic' side, but he knew that if she was displaying it then the offence must have been bad. He imagined Ayanokoji spontaneously combusting before their very eyes.

"And besides, Papa's already gone to the car," Ayanokoji continued, "so could you show me the way out? I'm afraid I've already forgotten."

Kyoya felt empty. He shared a glance with Haruhi, who looked back, disbelieving. He gave Ayanokoji a very forced smile. "It would be my pleasure.

He stood up and offered his arm to Ayanokoji, pulling her up so that Haruhi could be free to move again. He didn't look back as he made his way through the crowd, but if he did, he would have seen Haruhi stand up and begin to hurry after them, and Ayanokoji look over her shoulder to grin at her triumphantly when she was lost in the swarm of people.

**oOo**

Kyoya and Ayanokoji strode through the Hitachiin grounds towards the gates where Ayanokoji's car was waiting. Ayanokoji was speaking to him, but he was barely listening. _Only another few minutes, _he thought to himself. _Another few minutes of this idiocy._

"You know," Ayanokoji was saying, "I always thought you were very good-looking."

Kyoya made a noise to acknowledge that he had heard her talking.

But in the next moment, he found himself pushed up against a tree. Ayanokoji was uncomfortably close to him, and she had trapped both his wrists against the trunk of the tree.

"So," she said in a low voice, smirking, "how about it?"

"Ayanokoji – what on _earth _are you doing?" Kyoya tried to twist his arms free. She was inching closer and closer.

"Isn't that obvious? Surely you're not that oblivious? But it's okay if you're inexperienced … I'm a good teacher."

Kyoya finally broke his arms free and pushed her away, giving himself time to move back onto the path, away from her. "Ayanokoji," he began darkly, "I know what you're trying to achieve, but I don't know _why_. Did you never feel anything for Tamaki?"

Ayanokoji whirled around and steadied herself, confused. "Tamaki? Oh …" She let out a laugh. "That was months ago. But he never paid much attention to me. Surely you noticed. Whenever I visited him at the host club, he would spend the entire time fussing over that commoner, _Haruhi Fujioka._" She spat out Haruhi's name bitterly. "But then I realised … there was someone else, always in the shadows. Someone just as handsome, but far more intelligent … someone who wouldn't fawn over a worthless _commoner._"

Kyoya gritted his teeth. "But you bought Tamaki's fanbook … and you sent him that letter just last week!" And then, the truth hit him – he took a step back and stared at her, horrified at himself. "Surely not…!"

Ayanokoji grinned. "You hadn't figured it out? I thought you had a reputation for being clever. I couldn't buy _your _fanbook without creating quite a bit of awkwardness, so I bought Tamaki's instead. But either way, it was made by you … and you thought that the letter was for Tamaki? You're more clueless than I thought. I did leave it on _your _table."

Kyoya was silent. He was as furious with himself as he was with her. She had barely spoken two sentences to him in her life before this evening! How could he have known? And how was he going to tell Tamaki? He took a deep breath to steady himself before he spoke. "Ayanokoji. I don't know what kind of delusion you are suffering under, but it should be quite clear that you've insulted me in almost every possible way. Not only have you been misleading Tamaki – who, I might add, will be heartbroken when I tell him what a deplorable human being you are – but you have the nerve to tell me that you think I would disregard the members of the host club just so you can have some attention! Your attempts to gain my attention tonight have disgusted me. I would never have any regard for a person who would crush the heart of someone like Tamaki, who never meant any harm to anyone in his life, all for the sake of their petty jealousy."

Ayanokoji stared at him, stunned. "Jealousy…!"

"It is quite clear to me now," Kyoya replied coldly, "and I only wish I had seen it sooner. You're insanely jealous of Haruhi Fujioka. It infuriates you, doesn't it? How a _mere commoner_ could outshine a descendant of royalty in Tamaki's eyes? I will tell you now that it's because Haruhi possesses virtues that you could never dream of having. I told you that I wouldn't disregard any members of the host club – and that includes Haruhi."

Ayanokoji's face flushed. She was furious. "Hmph. I see. You're as enamoured as Tamaki." She clenched her fists and raised her voice to a yell. "The lot of you, you're so stupid!"

"I am far from stupid, Ayanokoji." He sent her an icy glare. "I believe you know your own way to your car. I have nothing more to say to you." With that, he whirled around and stormed away in the direction of the mansion and she stalked off towards the gates. Both of them dearly hoped that it would be the last time they ever saw each other.

**oOo**

And now Kyoya was standing alone at the balcony, staring gloomily at the sky as couples in the ballroom behind him slowly circled the room. Anyone looking on would have been intrigued by his brooding expression, desperate to discover what meaningful thoughts were behind that cool, handsome exterior – but in reality the only thing running through Kyoya's mind was a string of every single swear word in every single language he knew. He was angry with himself for being wrong, angry with Ayanokoji, angry with Tamaki – _Tamaki. _This would be a crushing blow to his best friend. How many times had Tamaki approached Kyoya excitedly to say something like, "_You were right! I really do like her! I can't believe I didn't notice it myself! You always know these things, Kyoya, you're the best!_"

The thought of telling Tamaki the truth made him feel terrible. It was bad enough that she didn't care about Tamaki in the first place, but that she had actually been pursuing _him_ all this time-!

Not that she cared about Kyoya any more than she cared about Tamaki. He grimaced. All she wanted was a handsome prince all to herself – a handsome prince who didn't care about anyone else, especially Haruhi Fujioka.

A movement next to him pulled him away from his thoughts. It was Haruhi herself, looking miserable. "You finally got away, huh senpai," she droned, "but you still don't look too happy."

"Neither do you," he countered, his voice bleak. "Are you still mourning the loss of the ootoro?"

Haruhi nodded wistfully, her eyes moving down towards the garden below. "After the twins stopped trying to force me under the mistletoe, I went to find some more, but they ran out."

"Ah well." Her obsession with the food still amused him, even in his current sorry state. "Maybe next time."

Haruhi nodded again. They stood in companionable silence for a few minutes as the music played in the background, each lost in their own thoughts, content with the other's presence.

But soon Haruhi looked up at Kyoya, worried. "Kyoya-senpai, you haven't said anything about what happened when you took Ayanokoji to her car yet. Did something go wrong?"

Kyoya smiled bitterly. "Did something go wrong? I suppose you could say that something went wrong." And he told her everything that had happened in the garden with Ayanokoji – for what reason he did not know, but he couldn't deny that he felt a little better when he was finished. He knew that this recount would be far less uncomfortable than the one that was ahead of him. As he spoke, Haruhi's expression changed from one of worry to one of pity. It startled him slightly. Pity wasn't something he usually received.

"So the letter was for you after all," Haruhi said glumly. "I think Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai suspected that it might not be for Tamaki."

Kyoya folded his arms. "Hmph. Ayame told me the same thing."

"And … you didn't listen," Haruhi deadpanned.

"There's no need to rub salt in the wound," he snapped.

Haruhi sighed. "I know. I'm sorry, Kyoya-senpai. But …"

"What is it?"

Haruhi looked at him straight in the eye. "You're not going to do anymore of this matchmaking, are you, senpai?"

Kyoya slowly shook his head. "… I do not wish for a repeat of these events."

Haruhi nodded and gave him a small, sad smile. "What are you going to tell Tamaki-senpai?"

Kyoya looked out towards the view again, his voice quiet. "I will tell him the truth. Nothing more, nothing less. And then," he continued, a dark smirk slowly creeping onto his face, "I will personally ensure that Ayanokoji never steps foot in the club again. It also wouldn't hurt to spread a few … less than pleasant rumours. I wonder how many 'friends' she has? And I wonder how many of them will stay by her side…?" Kyoya trailed off, his mind teeming with countless ways to get revenge on Ayanokoji for ruining his plans and crushing Tamaki's heart.

Haruhi laughed nervously. "… And you were being unusually nice today, too."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "Well, the trouble you caused me earlier with the twins and that dress could always be added to your debt. You did rip one of those shirts when you were fighting with them, and I'll have you know that shirt cost-"

Haruhi groaned. "Alright, I'm sorry! Forget I said anything!"

From just inside the ballroom, the twins watched their friends with a mixture of fascination and unease. To them, the battle for Haruhi had always been between themselves and Tamaki. But watching Kyoya with Haruhi now … had they underestimated the Demon Lord, just as many of the host club's adversaries had done in the past? Had they all made the same deadly mistake?

On the balcony, Haruhi let out a breath and thoughtfully turned her face towards the night sky, just as Kyoya had done. Kyoya could see the stars reflected in her eyes. She smiled ruefully.

"Merry Christmas, Kyoya-senpai."

When Kyoya replied, his voice was soft. "… Merry Christmas, Haruhi."

**oOo**

"Tamaki," the elderly woman instructed sharply. "Please introduce yourself to our guest."

Tamaki smiled. "Of course, Grandmother." He approached the woman before him and raised her hand to his lips. "It is a pleasure to meet you. You are far more beautiful than the stories say … Ms. Tonnerre."

* * *

><p><em>I sort of wish I'd started writing this story later so that chapter 3 would have actually coincided with Christmas. This chapter took me forever, mostly because I kept cringing at all the things I could make Ayanokoji do rather than actually writing them down, but now I guess I've gone out of the frying pan and into the fire… Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed! I like getting reviews so if you have something to say about the story so far then let me know!<em>


	4. New Beginnings

In more ways than one, it hadn't been easy for Kyoya to break the news about Ayanokoji to Tamaki. He'd planned to see Tamaki the very next day, but he soon discovered that his friend was not allowed to see anyone for the next few days on the orders of his grandmother.

And thus, Kyoya had been left to wallow in his own discomfort, anger and guilt. He couldn't bring himself to speak to anyone – his pride would not allow it. He knew that he'd already told the entire story to Haruhi, and now he cringed at the thought. What had he been thinking? Had he, for once, not been thinking at all? He'd admitted his _mistake_ to her! (The voice of reason inside his mind told him that she probably would have figured it out anyway. He'd always known that she was unusually observant.)

He had paced his room for days. When he thought about Ayanokoji he would throw things at the wall as if it were the 'princess' herself. When he thought about what she had done to Tamaki he would sigh and slump into the lounge, trying to cast aside the image of the heartbroken expression he knew he would see on his best friend's face the moment he explained the events of that night to him. But it would be replaced with the pitying gaze Haruhi had given him as he confessed his errors, and he would groan and run his hands through his hair. And then he would remember the noise of a plate smashing against the wall, and his fury would return as the image of Ayanokoji's accursed face filled his mind once again. As this cycle continued he ignored the worried messages from his friends – Kaoru, Honey, and even one from Haruhi – just as he also ignored Fuyumi's concerns. But soon she had returned home with her husband, leaving Kyoya alone with his own _damned _feelings.

At last, before he drove himself mad, Tamaki had finally been freed from his obligations, and Kyoya wasted no time in arranging a visit to the Suohs' second mansion. But when he arrived, Tamaki had been so happy that he couldn't immediately bring himself to tell him what he knew would ruin his innocent joy. He was barely listening as Tamaki spoke about his Christmas - something about a dessert? - and his answers to his friend's queries about the Hitachiins' party were vague. All Kyoya could think about was the impending disappointment, as he sat there staring gloomily into his teacup. But there came a point when neither of them could ignore Kyoya's discomfort, and Kyoya forced himself to tell Tamaki the truth about Ayanokoji.

He couldn't meet Tamaki's eyes, but he knew that as he spoke of Ayanokoji's actions and words that night, the happiness was rapidly slipping off his friend's face. However, when he dared to look up, he had not expected Tamaki's expression to be one of worry.

"Kyoya," Tamaki had said softly, "are you alright?"

He had laughed harshly. "Don't be an idiot. I should be the one asking you that question."

"No, really," Tamaki insisted, wrapping his arms around his knees. "The others were worried about you, you know. The twins told me that you didn't reply to anyone's messages, and Honey-senpai said that Mori-senpai thought you looked really upset at the end of the party-"

"Well that's one way to put it-"

"-and even Haruhi texted me!"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at that. "She gave you her number?"

Tamaki was somehow able to grin. "Of course! I am her father, after all–" Kyoya groaned, "-What's that expression for? Anyway, she told me to speak to you as soon as I could."

Kyoya looked out the window. "… I see."

Tamaki continued. "Don't get me wrong, I _am_ sad, but I don't want you to think it was your fault. You can't blame yourself for her shortcomings."

Kyoya huffed, but Tamaki simply smiled.

"I know you don't like to be wrong, but you can't predict everything." He glanced at the magnificent bookshelf in the corner of the room and chuckled. "Life would be pretty boring if you always knew what was going to happen. And besides, if she wants to throw away the chance to be with a guy as amazing as me, it's her loss."

As Tamaki preened, Kyoya shook his head. "Tamaki … you never cease to surprise me."

Tamaki winked. "Well, I do aim to impress."

Kyoya smiled for the first time in days. "I wasn't saying that you were any less of a moron."

**oOo**

The rest of the winter holidays went by peacefully for them both, despite their considerably lower spirits. They met with their fellow club members on New Year's Eve. Kyoya had expected to be put through the discomfort of explaining his mistake once again, but to his relief, nobody asked about the ignored text messages or spoke of _his_ failure, but rather about _Tamaki's _bad luck - it was obvious to Kyoya that Tamaki had said something to them. (His already wounded pride took another stab.) Haruhi, after realising that both Tamaki and Kyoya were recovering, reverted back to her usual apathetic manner towards them all. But each member of the host club felt a shared relief in the fact that they could now forget all about Princess Ayanokoji and simply enjoy the festivities.

The most interesting thing about the holiday was the Suohs' guest. After the beginning of the New Year, Tamaki's father had wasted no time in introducing her to as many prominent people in Japan as he could, including Yoshio Ootori and his esteemed sons. Kyoya met her at a function in one of Yuzuru Suoh's hotels. Yuzuru introduced her to them as Éclair Tonnerre, heiress of the Grand Tonnerre group. They exchanged formalities, and his father kissed her hand. The two men and Ms. Tonnerre struck up polite conversation.

Kyoya said nothing, and observed.

Her looks were striking. She was thin, with very angular features, and her clothes were as glittering as the chandelier hanging above them. But she was not pretty – perhaps it was her large, shallow, piercing eyes that were far too blue, or the way she wore her hair so that her neck looked long and thin to the point of abnormality – but something about her reminded him of an insect.

Appearances aside, there was nothing special about her. She was the same as any other wealthy heiress; cordial, reserved, all smiles.

But it wasn't the woman herself that interested Kyoya - it was the company she was due to inherit. He knew that the Grand Tonnerre Group was one of the wealthiest businesses in Europe, if not in the world. The group was based in finance and business management, and it had a good reputation. He also knew that Grand Tonnerre had been making a large number of foreign acquisitions. Suoh was right to seek a partnership with Grand Tonnerre, for if times became bad-

"So you're Tamaki's friend? He talks about you all the time."

Kyoya found himself forced to stare at Éclair Tonnerre's unblinking blue eyes. "Yes," he smiled, "we're good friends."

"Hm." She mirrored his polite smile. "Then there's no doubt that I'll run into you when I tour Ouran Academy next week."

Kyoya gave her a polite bow. "I look forward to it. And if there is any way in which I can assist at all on that occasion, I would be honoured to do so."

After all, a connection with the Tonnerre Group was as equally beneficial to the Ootoris as it was to the Suohs.

**oOo**

The following week, school had started again and the host club was back open for business. Ayanokoji, the hosts discovered from Honey and Mori, was dating a spineless, simpering boy from class 3-C, although nobody could quite recall his name. It turned out that she had made advances on several boys from classes A and B over the short break, but they had all declined on account of some strange secret that nobody seemed willing to divulge. Her friends had grown distant – all seemed unwilling to be associated with her - and there were also reports that her family's assets had fallen in value. After this account, all eyes had fallen on Kyoya, and his friends shrank back at the sight of his demonic smile. But Kyoya, frankly, didn't care, for Ayanokoji would not be bothering them any longer.

Otherwise, school began as usual. Mori did nothing, Honey ordered more cakes than the club could afford, the twins resumed their incessant harassing of Tamaki, who in turn resumed his ridiculous antics towards Haruhi, who only wanted to find a moment's peace so that she could study. But Kyoya sometimes caught Tamaki staring sadly into the distance when he was left to himself for too long. Perhaps Ayanokoji herself was out of their lives, but the memory of her lived on all too well for them both.

Soon the day came when Tamaki was to show Éclair Tonnerre around the school. The club had decided that they would not be open for business but still meet, and in Tamaki's absence Kyoya would run the meeting. Which was all very well, but he had something to attend to first, and so he had left his friends alone in Music Room Three while he waited in the corridor outside.

Kyoya checked his watch: _3:44_. Any moment now…

And sure enough, Haruhi Fujioka came running down the corridor exactly as he knew she would - puffing, clutching her side and in too much of a rush to notice him. He chuckled and stepped forward before she could touch the door handle.

"Haruhi."

He could have sworn that she'd jumped about two feet into the air.

"Eh? K- _Kyoya-senpai!_"

"I'm sorry." He raised an eyebrow. "Did I startle you?"

"No!" She replied too quickly, and gave a nervous laugh. "I just – sorry I'm late – Hikaru and Kaoru - and I had to get my stuff-"

And there they stood, Kyoya mused. He, the epitome of calm, and she, a nervous wreck - an odd occurrence for Haruhi. But he had been expecting this, and he wasn't fazed.

"-and I'll just be going in now!" She laughed again and reached out towards the door handle.

Kyoya sighed. "Haruhi, do you really think that I didn't _know _you would be later than usual today?"

She blinked, and slowly turned back towards him. "What do you mean…?"

Kyoya shoved his hands in his pockets. "I haven't spoken to any of the other host club members, as they would probably act … disproportionately-"

Haruhi made a noise in the back of her throat. "-'Disproportionately' at best," she muttered. At least she was smiling now.

"- As they would probably act _disproportionately_," he repeated. "But in any case, it has come to my attention that this day has special significance for you."

He could see comprehension dawning on her face. She stared at him in disbelief. "What…?"

Kyoya sighed again, and when he spoke it was with far more gentleness than he was accustomed to hearing from himself. "I know that today is your mother's birthday, Haruhi. And in light of that, you don't have to attend the meeting today."

Haruhi looked stunned. She clearly hadn't been expecting this level of consideration from him, he realised, and he felt something sink in his stomach. "_Kyoya-senpai…_"

"I won't tell any of the others the real reason for your absence, of course," he continued hastily. "I will make your excuses for you. And I expect your continued attendance as usual from tomorrow onwards. Naturally, if you would rather be at the meeting today then you are welcome to join-"

"Senpai… thank you."

She smiled, a rare, true smile that banished all his feelings of disappointment, and Kyoya could only stare back at her in fascination and relief.

"Kyoya! … And Haruhi?"

It was Tamaki's voice that broke them out of their reverie. They both started simultaneously, and as soon as they had turned away from each other to face Tamaki they realised that they had been gazing at each other for too long.

"Hello Tamaki," Kyoya said with his usual coolness, ignoring his friend's puzzled expression. "And it's a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Tonnerre. I hope you've been enjoying your tour."

"Hm. Kyoya Ootori, wasn't it?" Éclair stepped out from behind Tamaki and glanced up at the ceiling. "The school is very quaint." She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in Haruhi's direction. "And who's your friend?"

Tamaki bounded forward, regaining all of his normal, effortless charm. "This is the honour student, Haruhi Fujioka!"

Kyoya thanked his lucky stars that Tamaki refrained from calling her his 'daughter'. He finally dared to look at Haruhi again, and to his surprise she seemed tense. He made a mental note to ask her about it tomorrow. "Haruhi, this is Éclair Tonnerre," he told her. "She is the heiress to the Grand Tonnerre Group, and, as you know, an esteemed guest of the Suoh family."

Haruhi smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Tonnerre. I hope you've been enjoying your time at Ouran."

Kyoya was struck by how eerily familiar her false smiles and sentiments felt to him.

Éclair made a pitying expression. "So you're the commoner. It must be so hard for you."

Haruhi blinked. "Well, I don't really know what you mean by that-"

"-But Tamaki has promised to show me the maze, so we'd best be going now before it gets too late!" Éclair laughed and smiled at Tamaki. "Don't you think so?"

Tamaki jumped. "Hm? Oh, yeah …" He gathered himself and offered her his arm. "Right this way, mademoiselle!"

As they left, Tamaki shot Kyoya a confused glance, to which he responded with a short nod, and Tamaki grinned before disappearing down the hall. He didn't need words to tell Tamaki that Haruhi was alright.

Kyoya turned towards the doors with a sigh. "Well, Haruhi, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh …" Her voice sounded very small. "Alright. But Kyoya-senpai-"

He turned. "What is it?"

Haruhi tapped her toes and gazed at the floor, her cheeks slightly pink. "You doing this for me and not telling the others … you don't know how much it means to me. Thank you."

Kyoya wanted to protest. He really did. He wanted to tell her that this was only for his tangible benefit in some way, to do _something _to maintain his ruthless, Shadow King persona, but he knew that she would see through the lie. She always did. Instead, he gathered his composure and adjusted his glasses. "If you don't take advantage of the offer now, your debt will be doubled. I woke up much earlier than usual this morning…"

Haruhi huffed good-naturedly. "Alright, I'm going," she grumbled, and disappeared around the corner.

**oOo**

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai, what took you so long?"

Kyoya didn't even spare the twins a glance. "My apologies, I ran into Haruhi. It would seem that she has a splitting headache for _some reason_-" –he shot Hikaru and Kaoru a menacing look- "-and thus is unfit to attend the meeting today. She's gone home to recover."

The twins' terrified expressions said it all – Kyoya smirked. His guess at their behaviour in class that afternoon had been correct.

"We didn't know that Haruhi had a headache!" one twin started defensively.

"Yeah, she never said anything!" the other continued, sounding panicked. "It was just a few commoner's party poppers! And a smoke bomb – I mean, it wasn't that loud!"

"_Hikaru…_" Kaoru groaned.

"Poor Haru-chan …" Honey said sorrowfully. "Don't you think so, Takashi?"

Mori stared out the window. "… Yeah."

Kyoya took his usual seat. "I also saw Tamaki with Éclair Tonnerre. They were on their way to see the maze."

"Was the boss looking okay?" the twins asked simultaneously.

"Yes," Kyoya replied thoughtfully, "they both seemed quite at ease. Now if I might begin the meeting, there is a very important issue that I need to address regarding our finances." His eyes settled on the small boy shoveling down cake almost faster than was humanely possible. "Honey-senpai … the speed of your cake consumption is unsustainable for the club's finances. Therefore," he continued over Honey's wails, "I am cutting spending on cakes and sweets by thirty percent effective next week-"

"Takashi!" Honey wailed. "Don't let him do this to me, Takashi!"

Mori strode stoically to where Honey sat and placed a large hand on top of his head. "… I'm sorry, Mitsukuni."

And the club descended into chaos.

As Honey raged and the twins ran hysterically around the room in an attempt to escape his wrath and Mori did nothing whatsoever, Kyoya leaned back in his seat and marked the first point on his list with a tick. He surveyed the room thoughtfully, feeling strangely peaceful in the midst of all the familiar cacophony. _Was Tamaki looking okay? _The question had made him think. Neither of them had seemed _unhappy_. In fact, he now wondered whether Yuzuru Suoh had had more ambitious goals in mind when he invited Éclair Tonnerre to stay with his family. Tamaki and Éclair falling in love would by no means be a bad thing. It would even benefit the Ootoris, by extension. Of course, Kyoya wouldn't get _involved_, but there was no harm in giving Tamaki a little encouragement. After all, there was a very large difference between the likes of Princess Ayanokoji and Éclair Tonnerre.

Yes, he thought, as he wrote _ÉCLAIR TONNERRE_ in large, capital letters across the top of a page in his notebook. There was no harm in such an alliance at all.

**oOo**

That afternoon, as Haruhi wandered alone along the desolate street, she found that she couldn't stop thinking. She couldn't believe her good luck in getting out of club activities. But no, she reminded herself, it wasn't luck at all. It was simply Kyoya's kindness. She wondered how often – or perhaps she should say how little - he had been associated with that trait. He was so unbearably stubborn! He knew that there was no need to keep up his egoist act in front of his friends – she knew that he knew – so why did he do it? She supposed that old habits really did die hard. Or perhaps he was protecting himself from something. She remembered Tamaki saying something of the sort once.

She shook her head as she entered the graveyard, shifting a bunch of soft pink roses in her arms. There was something else that she could not stop thinking about – and that was her meeting with Éclair Tonnerre. Haruhi grimaced at the very thought of her. Something was off about her, she had noticed that immediately, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was it her name? The way she spoke? The way she smiled? Haruhi couldn't tell, but she did know that she sincerely hoped Ms. Tonnerre would not be staying in Japan for long.

Haruhi took a deep breath and approached the site of her mother's grave. But as she got nearer, she realised that for the first time in her life she hadn't gotten there first - a small, but beautiful bouquet of flowers as white as the surrounding snow had been placed neatly on top of the grave. Haruhi wondered for a long moment who could have put them there. Her father certainly hadn't come yet, and her mother's lawyer friends had all moved away years ago. But soon, she connected the dots - she could hardly believe it - and she could not stop herself from beaming. She placed her own flowers beside the others and knelt on the snow in front of the grave.

_Mother in heaven, can you see me now? Do you remember when I first joined the host club? I was really annoyed back then, but now … I think I'm the happiest I've ever been since you were with us. I finally understand that they all care about me … even Kyoya-senpai … and it makes me glad to know that I've found true friends at Ouran, even if I didn't really want them at first. Dad and I miss you every day … I hope that you're happy in heaven … I'll always love you, Mom._

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><p><em>I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. Firstly, for some reason I couldn't bring myself to start it until after Christmas, and then after writing only a few paragraphs I ran into writer's block for the first time in my life, and when I did finish it I thought it seemed a little rushed or disjointed or something, so I'm not sure whether this chapter was really my best work. Excuses aside, I'm really sorry that I probably made it look like this fic was abandoned. As a side note, I spent a long time debating whether to write 'mum' or 'mom' in that last paragraph (because I'm Australian) and I went with 'mom' because I can't imagine Haruhi with a British (or Australian, for that matter) accent. You also might have noticed that I like to put snow in everywhere because we don't get proper snow here and I've hardly ever seen it (although I don't think a lot of places in the northern hemisphere get very good snow either)! I really appreciate all the favourites, follows and reviews, so thank you! Especially reviews because all your kind words really are what keep me going, so feel free to leave one! Also if anyone has any constructive criticism I would really appreciate it, because like I said, I'm not as happy with this chapter as I could be. But I hope you enjoyed it!<em>


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